After we woke in the morning, had breakfast, and paid our bar bills(!), our luggage was loaded onto the back of a very old truck, and the trekkers boarded a number of VW camper vans to transport us back to the nearest village.
At the village, I was able to make my last phone call to my wife Sue before we entered the rainforest, and I also managed a quick blog update. After that, we climbed onto a clapped out Ford flatbed truck with wooden planks as seats for a very painful(!) 2.5 hour ride along some very bumpy tracks to our trek starting point (I could still feel the bruises for several days afterwards!). We did at least see some spectacular views along the way, including the time we had to stop for the driver to go take a dump in the hedge (and he didn't even take any paper with him!).
By the time we got there at around 12.30pm, we were all ready and eager to start the walk. Things started off well enough, with a gentle stroll along some jeep tracks, including a stop to eat our packed lunch (creamed cheese and grated carrot sandwiches!). But we then faced a very steep climb up a hill, initially through a forested area, but then hillside that was exposed to the hot afternoon sun.
The climb was tough, and took about 2 hours. For me, and several of the others, it was a struggle, with one guy having to take a rest on doctors orders due to heat exhaustion.
Once I got to the top though, the hard work was all worthwhile, coz the views were absolutely amazing! We spent about 40 mins at the top to allow everyone to catch up and have a bit of a rest, before we then started the descent, which was also quite difficult, but at least it was downhill!
It was still a fair walk to our first Pousada (a sort of basic guest house), but a welcome relief when we did eventually arrive. The place was situated high on a hill, with stunning views.
There were around 10 of the male trekkers that had to camp out in tents as there were not enough beds inside for everyone (I managed to secure a bed indoors!). Everyone was sharing, with 4-5 people per room, and our bathroom also ended up as the communal bathroom for all the campers too.
Managed to get a half decent night's sleep, despite the snoring and trumping.
Today we had walked approx 15km.
At the village, I was able to make my last phone call to my wife Sue before we entered the rainforest, and I also managed a quick blog update. After that, we climbed onto a clapped out Ford flatbed truck with wooden planks as seats for a very painful(!) 2.5 hour ride along some very bumpy tracks to our trek starting point (I could still feel the bruises for several days afterwards!). We did at least see some spectacular views along the way, including the time we had to stop for the driver to go take a dump in the hedge (and he didn't even take any paper with him!).
By the time we got there at around 12.30pm, we were all ready and eager to start the walk. Things started off well enough, with a gentle stroll along some jeep tracks, including a stop to eat our packed lunch (creamed cheese and grated carrot sandwiches!). But we then faced a very steep climb up a hill, initially through a forested area, but then hillside that was exposed to the hot afternoon sun.
The climb was tough, and took about 2 hours. For me, and several of the others, it was a struggle, with one guy having to take a rest on doctors orders due to heat exhaustion.
Once I got to the top though, the hard work was all worthwhile, coz the views were absolutely amazing! We spent about 40 mins at the top to allow everyone to catch up and have a bit of a rest, before we then started the descent, which was also quite difficult, but at least it was downhill!
It was still a fair walk to our first Pousada (a sort of basic guest house), but a welcome relief when we did eventually arrive. The place was situated high on a hill, with stunning views.
There were around 10 of the male trekkers that had to camp out in tents as there were not enough beds inside for everyone (I managed to secure a bed indoors!). Everyone was sharing, with 4-5 people per room, and our bathroom also ended up as the communal bathroom for all the campers too.
Managed to get a half decent night's sleep, despite the snoring and trumping.
Today we had walked approx 15km.
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